I would never argue about the suitability for purpose represented by the G650. The 757 is an exercise brought on by the price differential between a used (well used) 757 and the G550 and up executive transports that extend from $50M and exceed $100M.
757's are usually thin on the market with few units for sale. There are a few presently at around 15-18 years of age. One of those has relatively low hours (12,000 or so) with an exec interior and appears to be priced at $45M asking. Another one has more like airline hours (60,000+) on it that looks to be around $16M.
One of the main reasons for using the 757 as the example is its ability to use virtually any airport the G650 can use so that attribute washes out of the comparison. That's where a Super 27, for instance, along with a mountain of other reasons, is not suitable. There seems to always be one or two of those for sale including the conversion to the RR engines from the older Gulfstream.
Trumps airplane is also not fitted to this exercise as it is a very low time aircraft bought from Microsoft's cofounder Paul Allen some years ago. It's purchase price was likely well north of $100M. It was bought to impress, not to make economic sense in normal terms. Note also that aircraft, and many like it, has the internal airstair so that bit of ground handling you mention is taken care of.
The completion cost of a new aircraft interior in the "Trump style" would probably exceed $25M however more realistic interiors are available where the wheel need not be reinvented. If our 757 were to have an exec interior of some description already it would really help however. Changing out the "soft goods" and updating cabin management/comm systems could be done for, I'm guessing, $2-5M. It isn't clear to me if previously installed interior designs are "patented", if you will, so the design can not be reused. If not then selecting an existing design would be the way to go if it is an airliner conversion.
Operationally, you're right about maximum range. Even with 6-8 PATS tanks in the hold the range of a 757 will not much exceed 6,000 miles. But 6,000 miles, as they say, ain't nothing. But you would have to make a tech stop in Hawaii or Tahiti to make it to Sydney like you mentioned earlier. However if the Pacific isn't on your beat, well, you can get most anywhere worth going otherwise in one jump.
What do you guys charter the G650 for? Guaranteed number of hours per day? I'm assming wet and crew expense included. The direct costs are available but the lease cost would be good to know as well.
Do you have a feel for the overhaul cost of 757 engines? Hello out there airline guys, would you care to chime in?
And the cost of a heavy D-check/IRAN? Thoughts on that?
Thanks for playing.....
